2008 Los Ailos Syrah Tannat

So tonight I am trying a new wine from a new region with an old favorite dish.  The wine is the Los Ailos Syrah Tannat blend from San Juan, Argentina.  Now this wine is from the Tulum Valley of Argentina, which is north of Mendoza (where most of the wine exported from Argentina comes from), and hence quite a bit hotter (remember, south of the equator things get hotter as you go north!).  Typically, the grapes grown in this region are used for bulk wines, sherry, brandy and the like, but in recent years more wines have come from this area as it's begun to come into its own.

This wines is a blend of syrah (60%) and tannat (40%), which is a famous grape in the Madiran region of France.  The addition of tannat to the blend results in a much more complex wine and really makes this wine pack a heck of a punch for the price.  The wine itself has a nose of leather and spice with a hint of earthy sophistication, and no, I cannot explain that combination of words even if I tried, but it's what came to mind as I had my nose buried in the glass!  As for the taste, this one is very interesting, as it initially presents an explosion of bright, ripe fruit, but not in a sickening sweet dessert wine sort of way, but rather in an exclamation of the fruit that made this wine possible.  Mid palate is filled with spice and herbs, with a hint of vanilla, while the tannins from the tannat create a smooth, very dry finish.

Tonight I am pairing this wine with some fresh mussels, sauteed in garlic and olive oil, and then simmered with tomatoes and basil and tossed with some linguine, and I think that this wine would balance the acidity of the red sauce while complementing the richness of the mussels, at least that's my hope!  As you can tell from the photos I have a lot of cooking to do!  As for the wine, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, especially considering the price, which is around $8 (though I got this one in the fall sampler from MadWine.com).  So if you come across this wine, give it a try, I think you'll be quite pleased with the depth of wine you get for such little money!